Cushioning and arch-supporting device



Och 1930. M. c. MESSLER CUSHIONING AND ARCH SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /1zve7vlb 7' Octa 14, 19390 c MESSLER 1,778,683

CUSHIONING AND ARCH SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19,- 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jglyflj'.

Patented on. 14, 1930 1,778,683

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1mm 0. HESSLEB, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOB TO MADGE C- IESSLEB, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND O'USHIONINQAND ARCH-SUPPORTING DEVICE Application filed flctober 19, 1929. Serial No. 400,917. I

This invention relates to a cushioning and flexible and compressible material, preferarch-supporting device for use in boots and ably sponge rubber, and is provided with a shoes. heel portion 12, a shank portion 13, and a The invention has for its object to provide ball portion 14, which latter is made taper- 5 a superior device of the character described, ing, being provided as herein shown with a 55 which is capable of being inserted into the tapered under surface (see Fig. 6).

shoe. The cushioning member 10 is normally flat To this end, the device is provided with a and its heel and shank portions 12, 13 are of cushioning member, preferably of sponge substantial and uniform thickness while its 10 rubber, which member is preferably profrontend portion 14 is tapered. The cusho vided with a tapering front end portion and ioning member 10 has im arted to it a curved with shank and heel portions of substantialor are shape by means 0 a strip or member 1y uniform thickness. 17 of thin leather or other fibrous material,

The cushioning member is made of a which strip or member is cemented or otherlength substantially equal to the distance Wise attached to the upper surface of the 55 from the rear of the heelof the shoe to the cushioning member 10 at the front and rear ball thereof, and' has co-operating with it ,a ends of the latter and so as to leave an interflexible arching member of thin leather or mediate porti0n 19 of the arching strip or like fibrous material which is preferably of member 17 shorter than the length of the 20 a length less than that of the cushioning cushioning member, which shorter portion is 79 member and has its up ositeends secured to separated from the upper surface of the inthe heel and-tapered iiont portions of the termediate portion of the cushioning memcushionin member and its intermediate p0r- .ber 10 so as to form a chord for the arc-- tion free rom the shank portion of the cushsha ed cushioning member ioning member so that the cushionin memhe strip or member 17 serves to normally 15 her is curved or rendered arc-shape for a arch the cushioning member when the latpurpose as will be described, ter is removed from the shoe as represented The particular features of the invention in Fig. 5, and also whenin'serted into the shoe will -be pointed out in the claims at the .end and the latter is off the foot of the wearer,

of this specification. as represented in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 represents a shoe having a cushion- When the shoe is on the foot of the wearer ing and arch-supporting device. embodying and the latter is standing still, the foot dethis invention, the shoe being broken away presses the front and heel portions of the and the-device being shown in what may be cushioning member after the manner shown 35 considered its normal position, with the shoe in Fig.2 and causes the shank portion of the 5 removed from the foot of the wearer. rubber member to be longitudinally com- Figs. 2, 3 and 4 views of the shoe with the pressed and arched upwardly into engagecushioning device in different positions, to ment with the chord portion 19 of the archillustrate the action of the same when the ing member and thereby reversely arch the 0 wearer of the shoe is standing still and when chord portion and cause the intermediate po'r walking; tion 0 the cushioning device to conform to Fig. 5 is a side elevation on a lar erscale' the instep portion of the foot and support of the cushioning device shown in'I ig. 1 reand cushion the said instep portion and thus moved from the shoe. support and cushion the longitudinal arch as Fig. 6, an inverted plan view of the cushof the foot. When the arch supporter is in 96 ioning device shown in Fig. 1, and I place and subjected to pressure, forward Fig. 7, a plan view of the cushioning demovement of the cushioning member is revice shown in Fi 5. sisted by the fibrous member and the position Referring to t e drawings 10 represents of the arch supporter is determined by the 50 the cushiomng member, which is made of fibrous member.

The chord member 19 of the arching member 17 tends to restore the cushioning member 10 to its normal position represented in' Figs. 1 and 5 in the act of walking, for when the heel of the shoe is brought into contact with the ground as represented in Fig. 3, the weight of the foot is practically removed from the tapered front of the cushioning device and the latter is lifted by the action of the chord member 19 and is moved more or less toward the heel portion of the foot by the expansion lengthwise of the compressed intermediate portion of the cushioning memher and is thus moved rearwardly into contact with the bottom of the instep portion of the foot, and is moved in the reverse direction when the ball portion of the shoe is b ought into engagement with the ground after the manner represented in Fig. 4.

In this manner, the supporting and cushioning device has more or less of a massaging action upon the instep portion of the foot and therefore more or less action to promote circulation of the blood in the foot with benefit to the wearer of the shoe.

The cushioning member 10 may be insertable into and removable from the shoe, or, if desired, it may be definitely located in the shoe by cementing the cushioning member 10 at its rear portion to the sole of the shoe and so as to leave the tapered front end free to be moved by the chord member as above described.

It may be preferred to cement the shank portion 13 to the sole of the shoe and leave both the tapered front portion and also the heel portion free to be moved by the chord 19 after the manner represented in Figs. 3 and 4.

It is preferred to use the supporting and cushioning device after the manner herein represented and described, namely, with the chord member 19 uppermost and with the cushioning member curved or arched downward, but in some cases the said device may be used reversely, to wit: with the cushioning member arched upwardly, in which the latter case the chord member serves to maintain the arched cushioning member in contact with the bottom of the instep portion of the foot, and thereby support the longitudinal arch of the foot for the length of the same under all conditions of use while providing for a massaging action of the bottom of the instep portion of the foot in the act of walking.

From the above description it will be observed that when the cushioning device is free from pressure, as represented in Fig. 1, the arching member is provided with oppositely inclined end portions which are atiixedato the ends of the cushioning member and said end portions are connected by an intermediate portion which is not aftixed to the cushioning member but is shorter than the length of the cushioning member and the construction is such that when pressure is applied by the foot of the wearer, the ends of the arching member are capable of being brought into substantially the same plane as the intermediate portion thereof and of effecting longitudinal compression of the intermediate portion of the cushioning member especially when the latter is made of relatively soft rubber, such as sponge rubber, as the arching member resists stretching action and thereby effects longitudinal compression of the more compressible cushioning member. When the pressure is removed, the longitudinally compressed intermediate portion of the cushioning member expands, and assisted by the shorter unattached portion of the arching member causes the end of the cushioning member to be restored to its arched or curved form.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. An arch supporting and cushioning device for boots and shoes comprising a cushioning member of relatively soft rubber, and a member of substantially non-extensible fibrous material shorter in length than said cushioning member and fixedly attached at its ends to said cushioning member for normaly arching the cushioning member.

2. An arch supporting and cushioning device for boots and shoes, comprising a cushioning member of relatively soft rubber, and an arching member of fibrous material fixedly secured at its ends to the cushioning member and havin a portion intermediate said ends shorter t an said cushioning member and unattached thereto for normally arching said cushioning member and for effecting longitudinal compression of portions of the cushioning member intermediate the end portions thereof when the center portion of the cushioning member is subjected to pressure.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MATIE C. M'ESSLER. 

